Our mission,
and vision

since our founding in 2023, Nightline Europe has grown rapidly,
uniting 37 member organisations in Europe to strengthen the development, quality, and impact
of student-led peer support in Europe.

Created in
2000
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Roughly
12
volunteers
12
members

About Us

Nightline Europe is a network connecting and supporting Nightline services across the European continent. We exist to strengthen the development, quality, and impact of student-led peer support, while improving awareness and action on student mental health throughout Europe.

Since our founding in 2023, Nightline Europe has grown rapidly, uniting 39 member organisations across the UK, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, and France.

Our work is rooted in the belief that every student deserves access to high-quality, confidential, and empathetic support — especially at times when other services might not be available.

What is a Nightline?

A Nightline is a non-profit, student-run listening and support service offering confidential and non-judgemental peer support. Nightlines typically operate at night, providing a listening ear when other support systems may be closed.

The concept

The concept of Nightline, a nocturnal listening helpline run by and for students, emerged in 1970 at the University of Essex in England. A university lecturer and a university chaplain noticed high levels of stress and anxiety among university students. They believed that these problems were exacerbated by the fact that students had no one to talk to. They trained a group of students to provide emotional support to their peers over the phone, forming the first Nightline ever.

The model

The Nightline model was replicated elsewhere in the United-Kingdom and then in Europe, Canada, and the United States. Volunteers (students) are trained and accompanied by professionals to take calls or chats and listen to their peers in difficulty or distress. In each country and city, the launch of a Nightline is driven by students committed to the mental health of their peers. There are now nearly 70 Nightlines around the world.

Our history

In the fall of 2023, the Nightline Europe network was officially created with a clear vision: to build a Europe where students feel supported, heard, and connected, where mental health is recognised as fundamental to student life and valued by institutions, policymakers, and communities alike.

Created with a clear vision

Nightline Europe helps ensure
that student mental health
is understood, destigmatised,
and acted upon at every level.

Building closer cooperation
across Europe

Over the past few years, the three regional/national Nightline federations in Europe (Forderinitiative for German-speaking Nightlines, Nightline Association for Nightlines in the United Kingdom (closed since summer 2025), and Nightline France) have discussed closer cooperation, recognizing the benefits of collaboration across Europe to improve understanding, investment, and action on the issue at the European level.

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Our mission

In autumn 2023, the Nightline Europe network was officially created, with the following objectives in mind.

  • Creating links between existing and future European Nightlines in order to strengthen a transnational network of young people committed to student mental health;
  • Supporting the development and impact of Nightlines in Europe;
  • Improving awareness and action on student mental health in Europe;